Les Bowen

STAFF WRITER

Les Bowen has covered the Eagles since 2002. Before that, he covered the Flyers for 13 years. He came to the Daily News from the Charlotte Observer in May 1983, just as the Sixers were winning the NBA championship. He thought, "Gosh, this sort of thing must happen all the time here."

UPDATED: The Browns confirmed the hiring of Dick Jauron as defensive coordinator and released quotes from Jauron and head coach at Shurmur.

“Dick is someone I have known for many years, who is an outstanding football coach and very well-respected around the league,” Shurmur. said “He has a tremendous knowledge of the game and is an excellent teacher. His experience in the NFL as a player, position coach, coordinator and head coach will be a huge asset to our staff and I am looking forward to having him as a member of the Cleveland Browns.”

Added Jauron: “I want to thank Pat and the Cleveland Browns for this great opportunity. There were many elements of this job that were attractive for me. I have known Pat and his family for a long time, and in fact, I played for and coached with his uncle, Fritz. I believe that with people like Pat Shurmur, Mike Holmgren and Tom Heckert in place, this organization is building a solid foundation. I can’t wait to get started with the Browns.”

FROM EARLIER:

The Cleveland Plain Dealer is reporting that a source has said the Browns will hire Eagles secondary coach Dick Jauron as their defensive coordinator. In the hours since that report, other reports indicate Jauron has accepted the job, although head coach Pat Shurmur declined to confirm.

Jauron, 60, might have been the leading remaining candidate -- publicly identified candidate, anyway -- to succeed Sean McDermott with the Eagles. A CSNPhilly.com report earlier this week said he had promised the Eagles he wouldn't sign anywhere else without checking back with them, so presumably, he checked and the Birds demurred.

The Eagles are scheduled to talk to Saints defensive secondary coach Dennis Allen this weekend, after he interviews with Denver. Allen's interview with Broncos head coach John Fox took place today in Charlotte, N.C., the Denver Post is reporting.

Fox has said he hoped to have his entire coaching staff set in time for Senior Bowl practices next week in Mobile, Ala., and to meet with the team's scouting staff. However, his timetable could have changed.

Later Friday, the Plain Dealer reported that Eagles offensive line coach Juan Castillo was "in the mix" for the Browns' offensive coordinator job. Cleveland's general manager is former Eagles GM Tom Heckert. Castillo earlier was mentioned in speculation about a job in Minnesota, but those vacancies have been filled. A team source told the Daily News that the Browns have not asked for permission to speak with Castillo.

The pace of the Eagles' search for a replacement to McDermott has been a bit of a mystery. Unless they already have identified someone with a team still involved in the playoffs they are sure will take the job, they don't seem to be approaching the task with any great alacrity or focus. More than once when a name has emerged, people close to the situation have hinted that the person named isn't a top candidate, that the interview is a favor to someone.

It's almost as if the Eagles felt their biggest need was a d-line coach -- they've replaced Rory Segrest with Jim Washburn -- and the naming of a defensive coordinator is kind of a minor detail.

It certainly seems now, if Jauron is out of the picture, that the search will drag into next week's Senior Bowl practices, always the league's informal job fair. Expect about 200 Tweets a day on who Howie or Andy is talking to at the moment, even if they are discussing the local cuisine.